Agenda item

Regulatory Background

The Panel will receive a report in respect of the relevant regulatory framework, which sets out what is required of the Council and the work being undertaken to fulfil these requirements.

 

Contact:

Asad Bhatti – Head of Building Safety (Homes and Neighbourhoods)

 

Minutes:

Asad Bhatti, Head of Building Safety (Homes and Neighbourhoods) presented a report which set out the regulatory framework in respect of building safety and compliance, clarified what was required of the Council in each case, and detailed the work being undertaken to fulfil those requirements.

 

Naz Parkar, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods and Eric Hughes, Head of Business Assurance and Transformation were also in attendance to respond to Panel members’ questions.

 

Asad explained that the regulatory framework placed a duty on building owners to effectively manage all risks across all multiple occupancy buildings and, in doing so, to listen to and act on the issues and concerns raised by residents. He highlighted the Council’s current position in respect of the following key regulatory areas:

·       The Charter for Social Housing Residents (White Paper 2021)

·       The Building Safety Bill 2020

·       The Fire Safety Act (2021)

·       Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Consolidated Guidance Note (January 2020)

 

Questions and comments were invited from Panel members, with the following issues being covered:

·       The Council had a number of three and four storey blocks but there were no five storey blocks in Kirklees.

·       The assessment of the six storey blocks had been completed and assessment of the retirement living scheme accommodation was ongoing; it was noted that all these properties already had fire suppression. Following this, the focus would move to completion of the assessment of the 774 blocks with a communal access/egress.

·       In response to a question about the recommendations of the White Paper in respect of the provision of smoke detection/carbon monoxide detectors and electrical testing, it was explained that detectors were already in place in buildings where there was a solid fuel appliance and consideration was being given to the introduction of detectors to all Council owned domestic properties. Electrical testing was already in place via a five-yearly testing regime. Efforts were being made to address the issue of properties where there were problems with achieving access.

·       The Housing Quality Network (who had undertaken the complaints review) was a well-respected independent consultancy and it was considered that it had provided an objective view of the handling of complaints to assist in bringing about improvement.

·       In respect of vacancies and staff turnover in the high-rise blocks, the vacancy management rate was running at the usual level. It was acknowledged that there were a number of new housing officers, but this had occurred over a period of time. The pandemic had caused some issues in terms of these officers being able to fully introduce themselves to tenants, but this was in process and the aim was to strengthen the connection with residents. In addition, a multi-disciplinary high rise engagement team had been appointed to respond to queries from residents and recruitment of fire safety champions for all blocks was underway.

·       The feedback in respect of interest in the fire safety champion role had been positive and a further report could be provided to the Panel.

·       Considerable work was in progress in relation to both digital and on-site communications and understanding the best ways to convey information. This included the development of animations to explain what we do and why. It was recognised that the success of programme relied on working with residents and achieving the necessary access to undertake inspections and remediation checks, and to carry out repairs. A dedicated Building Safety webpage was in development and noticeboards and notices were to be revamped, alongside the update of the branding.

·       In respect of the dedicated Building Safety function; a Head of Building Safety role had been established, a temporary fire safety lead had been appointed and recruitment was underway for a project officer in respect of asbestos, water and fire. The recruitment to the building safety manager roles had begun, with two posts being advertised initially. It was noted that there was a lot of competition for people with the relevant technical skills but it was anticipated that the team would be fully staffed by March 2022. The existing compliance team would also transfer to the Council.

·       The use of the ‘dynamic’ risk assessment model meant that they would be left open to review, to allow them to be updated and evolve as necessary if there was a change in circumstances.

·       In relation to assurance and tracking of both the statutory and compliance review actions, it was explained that this report provided the current status in response to the regulatory requirements. In addition, the Council had commissioned its own Compliance Review which had considered operational improvements and governance, in addition to the regulatory requirements, and this was dealt with in the next report on the agenda; it was acknowledged that some cross-over of the actions. The Improvement Plan picked up all the statutory requirements, but it was suggested that further work could be undertaken to align the actions and provide the Panel with an overview so that the actions could be tracked in one place.

·       The £21 million set aside for remediation included everything in scope at this time including the Retirement Living Schemes and the low-rise blocks.

Supporting documents: